“…And that leadership tomorrow depends on how we educate our students today, especially in those fields that hold the promise of producing future innovations and innovators. And that's why education in math and science is so important.” November 23, 2009
Remarks by President Barack Obama on the "Educate To Innovate" Campaign
Teachers’ MemorialMiddle School: Innovation Through Education
This proposal outlines a plan for Teachers Memorial Middle School in Norwich, Connecticut, that will create a 21st century learning environment for its middle school students. The project includes an existing partnership with Fields Memorial School in Bozrah and a newly formed partnership with Norwich Public Utilities. It will enhance and augment an existing multidisciplinary program. Thames River Connections is an interdistrict grant program funded in part by the Connecticut State Department of Education. While the TRC program helps Norwich provide hands-on science (through Project O visits), math, and language arts experiences for its students through multi-cultural education, our middle school lacksup-to-date and necessary technologiesto adequately provide its students with a true 21stcentury learning environment. Many students are not aware of and do not benefit from the powerful ways that a technology-rich educational program can enhance their learning. The current technologies available at the school are limiting at best, non-functioning at worst. In order to bridge that achievement gap, implementing teaching and learning models that align with the goals of this grant are critical. As a result of this project, students’ academic achievement in science, math, language arts, and technology will be increased as evidenced by electronic student portfolios.
This plan entails many upgrades, changes, and additions to teaching and learning at TMMS. First, a comprehensive professional development schedule with a focus on 21st century skills is put into place. Next, the hardware upgrade/addition of EACH of the sixth grade science, language arts, and math classrooms is completed. Teachers will deliver engaging lessons using interactive whiteboards(IWB) that motivate students to learn (Marzano, 2009) They will also assess student learning instantly and efficiently with hand-held student response systems(SRS),modifying instruction as needed. They will have technology to incorporate Discovery Education components: Discovery Science videos and simulation programs where students can actively participate in the curricula-aligned lessons, moving beyond the stage of teacher-centered lessons to student-centered lessons (National School Board Association, 2009). Students will have ready access to research via the web by using the wireless laptops and portable tablet devices (iPads) and access high-quality web sites such as ThinkFinity.org and ICONN.org. They will have free resources such as digital books available through Google Books. They will collaborate with their partner school and globally through Web 2.0 tools such as Google Docs, VoiceThread and Wikispaces. A site is currently set up but seldom used due to lack of proper professional development for the teachers and limited access by students. Student writing projects, such as the persuasive piece that is a component of the TRC program (previously a letter to a congressman requesting funding for Long Island Sound estuary preservation) will now be completed digitally rather than written on paper with pencil, or filmed as a video public service announcement, or recorded in audio-only as a radio broadcast, or developed as an online discussion board.
The projects students create will be ones in which they choose the appropriate technologies and proper format. This requires higher-level skills and expertise than the electronic presentations they are accustomed to creating on our current hardware (12 year old computers) and software (PowerPoint 1997). Projects will be shared on the collaborative web space eliciting peer discussion, questioning, analyzing, and evaluation. Files will be organized in the students’ electronic portfolios on the newly acquired server and/or in a mobile storage locker. Electronic portfolios become ongoing projects during their 3 middle school years and beyond, valuable tools for teachers and administrators to determine student technology competencies and academic achievement. Students will collaborate on the design of useful applications (iPad or iPod apps) as they brainstorm digital solutions to real problems. Scientific data analysis will be completed using up-to-date hardware and software (USB microscopes, probes, and sensors). Students will not have to wait until the computers in the library are available. They will have access to the technology when they need it. The mobile laptop lab will give them quick and ready access to Internet research, online communication, video streaming, simulations, data collection and analysis, and digital entry to their electronic portfolios.
Teachers in this project include real-life experts in their fields as well as traditional educators in the classrooms. The scientists from Project O and the engineers from NPU will become mentors and role models. Students will see how these experts use similar technology tools in their careers and learn ways in which to use their educational technology is similar ways. The districts’ technology coordinators will become teachers/mentors to students and to their classroom teachers.
At TMMS, this project will impact 178 6thgrade students and 7 subject-area teachers during the first year of the program (2010-11), and will continue to expand as this class of students begins 7th grade in 2011 and 8th grade in 2012. Technology-enriched curricula are developed, curricula that reflects the transparent and seamless technology integration across all disciplines and ties into the survival skills of the 21st century. Technology will be implemented as appropriate tools for 21st century learning, not merely placed in the school in hopes that someone will adopt it and make use of it. At the partner school 6th grade students (30) and teachers (2) will also be impacted in their respective classrooms and during field studies and partner visits by having access to similar technology and through the combined educational experiences of the complete program.
According to author Tony Wagner in his book, The Global Achievement Gap,there are seven 21st century survival skills:
1. Critical Thinking and Problem Solving,
2. Collaboration across Networks and Leading by Influence,
3. Agility and Adaptability,
4. Initiative and Entrepreneurialism,
5. Effective Oral and Written Communication,
6. Accessing and Analyzing Information,
7. Curiosity and Imagination
In keeping these survival skills in focus, we have established the following PROJECT OBJECTIVES:
Improve student critical thinking and problem solving skills through the use of effectively integrated technology into curricular areas of science, math, and language arts
Encourage collaboration between science, math and language arts teachers: provide opportunities for systematic professional development and collaboration for teachers to develop technology-rich curricula. Promote student collaboration via virtual learning environments/social networks and face-to-face interactions. Partnerships with Norwich Public Utilities’ scientific experts lead by influence as they provide professional development for our teachers and share their knowledge with our students.
Provide increased opportunities to use technology as a learning tool: increase student awareness of the value of educational technology as they quickly adapt to the appropriate learning tool for the task at hand.
Increase student initiative through productivity in multiple disciplines with a variety of current technologies: afford students the opportunity to work at their individual skill levels using technology tools that assist in the development of a sense of belonging to the global community, for altruistic goals as well as for commercial enterprises.
Increase deep understanding of scientific terminology: further develop the students’ oral and written communication skills in multiple disciplinary areas
Create learning environments that foster data collection, analysis, synthesis, and evaluation to enable them to develop higher-level thinking skills
Promote student curiosity and imagination by making 21st century technology readily accessible.
Grant Overview
“…And that leadership tomorrow depends on how we educate our students today, especially in those fields that hold the promise of producing future innovations and innovators. And that's why education in math and science is so important.”
November 23, 2009
Remarks by President Barack Obama on the "Educate To Innovate" Campaign
Teachers’ Memorial Middle School: Innovation Through Education
This proposal outlines a plan for Teachers Memorial Middle School in Norwich, Connecticut, that will create a 21st century learning environment for its middle school students. The project includes an existing partnership with Fields Memorial School in Bozrah and a newly formed partnership with Norwich Public Utilities. It will enhance and augment an existing multidisciplinary program. Thames River Connections is an interdistrict grant program funded in part by the Connecticut State Department of Education. While the TRC program helps Norwich provide hands-on science (through Project O visits), math, and language arts experiences for its students through multi-cultural education, our middle school lacks up-to-date and necessary technologies to adequately provide its students with a true 21st century learning environment. Many students are not aware of and do not benefit from the powerful ways that a technology-rich educational program can enhance their learning. The current technologies available at the school are limiting at best, non-functioning at worst. In order to bridge that achievement gap, implementing teaching and learning models that align with the goals of this grant are critical. As a result of this project, students’ academic achievement in science, math, language arts, and technology will be increased as evidenced by electronic student portfolios.
This plan entails many upgrades, changes, and additions to teaching and learning at TMMS. First, a comprehensive professional development schedule with a focus on 21st century skills is put into place. Next, the hardware upgrade/addition of EACH of the sixth grade science, language arts, and math classrooms is completed. Teachers will deliver engaging lessons using interactive whiteboards (IWB) that motivate students to learn (Marzano, 2009) They will also assess student learning instantly and efficiently with hand-held student response systems (SRS), modifying instruction as needed. They will have technology to incorporate Discovery Education components: Discovery Science videos and simulation programs where students can actively participate in the curricula-aligned lessons, moving beyond the stage of teacher-centered lessons to student-centered lessons (National School Board Association, 2009). Students will have ready access to research via the web by using the wireless laptops and portable tablet devices (iPads) and access high-quality web sites such as ThinkFinity.org and ICONN.org. They will have free resources such as digital books available through Google Books. They will collaborate with their partner school and globally through Web 2.0 tools such as Google Docs, VoiceThread and Wikispaces. A site is currently set up but seldom used due to lack of proper professional development for the teachers and limited access by students. Student writing projects, such as the persuasive piece that is a component of the TRC program (previously a letter to a congressman requesting funding for Long Island Sound estuary preservation) will now be completed digitally rather than written on paper with pencil, or filmed as a video public service announcement, or recorded in audio-only as a radio broadcast, or developed as an online discussion board.
The projects students create will be ones in which they choose the appropriate technologies and proper format. This requires higher-level skills and expertise than the electronic presentations they are accustomed to creating on our current hardware (12 year old computers) and software (PowerPoint 1997). Projects will be shared on the collaborative web space eliciting peer discussion, questioning, analyzing, and evaluation. Files will be organized in the students’ electronic portfolios on the newly acquired server and/or in a mobile storage locker. Electronic portfolios become ongoing projects during their 3 middle school years and beyond, valuable tools for teachers and administrators to determine student technology competencies and academic achievement. Students will collaborate on the design of useful applications (iPad or iPod apps) as they brainstorm digital solutions to real problems. Scientific data analysis will be completed using up-to-date hardware and software (USB microscopes, probes, and sensors). Students will not have to wait until the computers in the library are available. They will have access to the technology when they need it. The mobile laptop lab will give them quick and ready access to Internet research, online communication, video streaming, simulations, data collection and analysis, and digital entry to their electronic portfolios.
Teachers in this project include real-life experts in their fields as well as traditional educators in the classrooms. The scientists from Project O and the engineers from NPU will become mentors and role models. Students will see how these experts use similar technology tools in their careers and learn ways in which to use their educational technology is similar ways. The districts’ technology coordinators will become teachers/mentors to students and to their classroom teachers.
At TMMS, this project will impact 178 6th grade students and 7 subject-area teachers during the first year of the program (2010-11), and will continue to expand as this class of students begins 7th grade in 2011 and 8th grade in 2012. Technology-enriched curricula are developed, curricula that reflects the transparent and seamless technology integration across all disciplines and ties into the survival skills of the 21st century. Technology will be implemented as appropriate tools for 21st century learning, not merely placed in the school in hopes that someone will adopt it and make use of it. At the partner school 6th grade students (30) and teachers (2) will also be impacted in their respective classrooms and during field studies and partner visits by having access to similar technology and through the combined educational experiences of the complete program.
According to author Tony Wagner in his book, The Global Achievement Gap, there are seven 21st century survival skills:
1. Critical Thinking and Problem Solving,
2. Collaboration across Networks and Leading by Influence,
3. Agility and Adaptability,
4. Initiative and Entrepreneurialism,
5. Effective Oral and Written Communication,
6. Accessing and Analyzing Information,
7. Curiosity and Imagination
In keeping these survival skills in focus, we have established the following
PROJECT OBJECTIVES: